A tea picking ceremony was held on the 19th in Tomiya City, Miyagi Prefecture, aiming to revive "Tomiya Tea" that was actively produced during the Edo period.
"Tomiya Tea" in Tomiya City, Miyagi Prefecture
The tea-picking ceremony was held with the participation of 25 people, including Mayor Hirotoshi Wako of Tomiya City and the people of the Silver Human Resources Center who manages the tea plantations, with the participation of the citizens stopped due to the influence of the new coronavirus.
Participants wore masks as an infection control measure, and carefully picked tea leaves under the guidance of experts while keeping a distance from other people.
According to Tomiya City, "Tomiya tea" was actively produced during the Edo period, but it was pushed by tea from other regions and the number of producers gradually decreased, and it stopped in 1970.
However, the city has been promoting a project aiming for revival for four years to revitalize the region, and is working on production by planting tea saplings in order to increase production in anticipation of commercialization.
According to the city, the tea leaves harvested on the 19th will be used for demonstrating the process of making tea after the ceremony, and will also be used for making tea and serving at festivals in the city.
A woman in her 60s who participated said, "I feel that the tea leaves are getting better year by year. I want to do my best to revive Tomiya tea, which was once called a famous tea."
Mayor Wakao said, "I would like to do my best to cultivate Tomiya tea together with everyone, such as using it for sweets along with the commercialization of Tomiya tea."
"Okukujichanosato" in Daigo Town, Ibaraki Prefecture
In Daigo Town, Ibaraki Prefecture, the work of picking new tea from the specialty "Okukujichanosato" has begun.
In Daigo Town, located in the mountains of Ibaraki Prefecture, the special product "Okukujichanosato" is cultivated by taking advantage of the temperature difference between morning and evening and daytime.
Okukujichanosato is characterized by its strong taste and high aroma, and each farmer started picking new tea this week.
Of these, Hiroki Yoshinari's approximately 1 hectare tea plantation was manually harvested on the 19th to produce high-quality tea.
Nearby farmers also gathered in the tea plantation to help, and about 20 people picked the soft buds of new tea one by one.
According to Mr. Yoshinari, although the temperature was low in the beginning of last month, the growth was delayed a little, but after that, the temperature rose and the tea was finished in a tasty new tea.
Mr. Yoshinari said, "We have been having a difficult time with the new coronavirus, but I would like you to drink new tea and feel warm."
The new tea of "Okukujichanosato" will be harvested until the middle of next month and will be shipped to the prefecture and Tokyo.